New York--The Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) approved on 26 September a US$43.63m grant for a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)-led initiative to strengthen climate information and early warning systems in Africa.

ROME -- President Olusegun Obasanjo
of Nigeria and the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food
Programme (WFP), James Morris, today called for greater efforts to eradicate
child hunger and malnutrition in Africa, ahead of next month's summit
of the G8 leading industrialised countries in Scotland.

President Obasanjo, who was in Rome for
discussions with Morris and to address WFP's governing Executive Board,
said Nigeria was working with WFP and other agencies to give agriculture
and food security pride of place.